There are two statewide ballot measures on upcoming Oregon election ballots. While neither measure has any organized opposition, I still feel that it is important to know what we are voting for, and to actually vote for it. The first of these is Ballot Measure 68. Measure 68 would add a new article to the [...]
OK, so it’s not really fame, but another blogger did happen to quote one of my blog entries in a popular national blog. The Daily Kos is one of the 30 most viewed blogs in the country, and offers a variety of blog entries by many contributors every day on national political subjects. My only [...]
I have heard many arguments for voting against Oregon Ballot Measure 66. Among these are the perceived unfairness of the tax for those who have a taxable income of over $125,000 or $250,000 (whether filing single or jointly), as they are the ones who will see a small increase in their taxes. Certainly, these are [...]
If you see the television ads or read the statements in the voter’s pamphlet in opposition to Oregon Ballot Measures 66 & 67, you would have the idea that if you vote yes on these measures that employers will have to lay off some number of their employees. This is not the case. In most [...]
Most Oregon corporate businesses have been getting a free ride on their state tax bill for many years. Oregon Ballot Measure 67 is an effort to fairly correct the loopholes that have allowed most every business to essentially avoid state corporate taxes. It is time that we approve this common sense measure already passed by [...]
For at least the last 18 years, and historically for just about forever, we have heard the mantra for lower taxes. I am sure that everyone would love to pay as little in taxes as possible. It is natural: We really want to pay out as little as possible for anything and everything. There is [...]
Many states are having serious problems making their budgets work. There is a well known situation in California where services have been cut drastically and the government has ground to a halt in the last year. It is easy to blame the governor and legislators for this, but the biggest problem is the existence of [...]
Vote-by-mail ballots are on their way out for the upcoming election in Washington. It’s time to look at some of the issues to be decided. Again, we are looking mostly at issues that have clear choices. In the latest legislative session, the Washington Legislature decided correctly to expand the rights of domestic partners in the [...]
On Tuesday, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, the November referendum that took the right to marry away from California gays and lesbians. As a small consolation, they did not invalidate the legal marriages of around 11,000 couples that were already married. Proponents had based their support of the taking of rights from their [...]
Another general Election Day is over. We have spent the last several months rooting one way or the other on a number of candidate races and ballot measures. We do it in a way similar to the way we root for our local sports teams to win, only in this race, we have to live [...]
